Posts Tagged ‘erotica writers’

It’s my pleasure to welcome A.M. Hartnett to A Hopeful Romantic to ask that burning question, why write erotica? And to talk about her novella,Here for a Good Time.

It always give me a chuckle when I see writing blogs tackling the big erotica debate. Not how to write erotica or how to write great sex scenes, but simply whether or not to write erotica at all. Depending on the blog’s audience, it either devolves into an orgy of clutching pearls or high-brow snobbery about those books. Of course, the arrival of The Book That Shall Not Be Named and its sisters has given birth to countless (and, in my opinion, pointless) articles about why women are reading these types of books and why women are writing them.

If you were to ask me point blank why I write erotica, I’d be completely stumped. Why erotica specifically? I dunno. Somewhere along the way I just gravitated towards the smuttier side of things. Any genre I attempted ended up with explicit sex. Coming of age drama set in the 1920s? Threesome. Small town horror? Ghost sex. Cat and mouse game between a crime boss and a retired policewoman? Yeeeep, rough sex in the attic.

When I finished university and decided to dabble in writing, I discovered the market for erotica. After that, there was never any question as to what I was going to write. So needless to say when I started selling stories in 2006 and found out I was actually good at it, it was a bit of a relief, because it was pretty clear I couldn’t write anything else without filthy sex.

That’s not to say all the rules of storytelling go out the window when things get wet and dirty on paper. You still need to know how to write balanced scenes, even if the end result is an orgasm. You still need believable dialogue. You still need to set the mood. In other words, don’t believe the articles that tell you that you can make a quick buck writing erotica — you still need to know how to write and tell a story.

I tried explaining this to Arts Guy. AG is an online date I once had. We had similar backgrounds — degrees in English and love of books that spawned the need to write. He had seemed thrilled when he discovered I was a published writer, then snorted when he found out what I wrote. AG could come down on my smut all he wanted, but at the end of the day I could walk into my local bookstore and find a book that had my name in it, while he could go home and moan about how the university press wouldn’t recognize him as the next Robertson Davies and publish his angst-ridden shorts all because what he thought storytelling should be.

I may not be able to tell you why I write erotica, but I’m glad that’s the pins and needles path that sprang up in front of me. It’s fun, I’m good at it, and I like to think I don’t waste a reader’s time when they finish something I’ve written. My latest release is Here For A Good Time from Xcite Books. I love the chemistry between my characters Alexis and Chris, and I had a ball writing about the things they got up to when no one was looking. If I decided way back when that I was too good to write erotica, I would have missed out on a lot.

Here for a Good Time Blurb

When Alexis booked her work retreat at The Deveaux, the most she had to look forward to was a bit of spa time on the company dime, but flashy salesman Chris Kendrick has an even better suggestion. For years they’ve had a hot and cold working relationship with a bit of flirting mixed in, and now is the perfect time to get that spark out of their systems.

Three days hopping in and out of beds (and other convenient places) shows Alexis that Kendrick’s smooth demeanour is more than just talk, and that aromatherapy and soft-tissue massages have nothing on Kendrick’s firm hand.

Here for a Good Time Excerpt

‘Excited?’ he asked softly. His tie whisked out of his collar with a low hiss.

‘Unbelievably.’

‘Give me your hands.’

Once more she did as he asked, and nothing in her life to that point had turned her on more than watching him bind her wrists with his tie.

He studied her as he tightened the knot, his brow crooked. ‘You ever been done like this?’

‘A time or two,’ she admitted in a puff of air. Three times to be exact, but she couldn’t recall being this hot the last time she put herself at the mercy of a lover.

‘Colour me surprised.’ He made a loop at the end, and then guided her arms up and hooked her.

‘After the way I pounded you this morning, I figured you liked a bit of rough stuff.’

Standing so close, his every movement made his clothes rustle against her, teasing her nipples into hard peaks while he unzipped himself. The moment she looked down, he caught her under the chin.

‘Eyes forward.’

The tip of his cock, slick with precome, brushed her belly. Alexis itched to get her hands on him, to wrap her lips around that thickness and suck him until he gave her something to swallow, but she’d allowed herself to be putty in his hands and there was nothing to do but relent.

It was easy to do. She could practically feel the hum of energy in her blood as he ran his hands all over her body. His gaze never left hers. It was as though he was daring her to give him a reason to rebuke her.

A.M. Hartnett began writing in 2006 and has published more than thirty short stories. Her work has appeared in more than a dozen anthologies, including Cleis Press’s Sudden Sex: 69 Sultry Short Stories (Ed. Alison Tyler), and The Big Book of Orgasm: 69 Sexy Stories (Ed. Rachel Kramer Bussel). She has also written three novellas and a novel as Annemarie Hartnett. For more information on her publications, please visit www.amhartnett.com

Hi everyone! Yes, it’s true. I’m still here. *Blinks wide-eyed and a bit dazed* Some of you already know why I’ve been off the radar for a while, and for those of you who don’t, a quick look around at the undone ironing, the multiple coffee cups, the floor that hasn’t seen a hoover in … well never mind, and you would be able to accurately diagnose my disease. Yup! I’ve been suffering from End of Novel Syndrome. I’m sure every writer reading this is nodding in empathy.

End of Novel Syndrome is that overpowering neurosis that hits a author somewhere around the last fifteen thousand words of writing a novel, in those last few critical weeks when the end is oh so close but so far away. A novelist gets a bit crazy around that time, Though my husband insists that, for me, ENS begins six months before and ends six months after, I’m sure he’s exaggerating just a little.

The symptoms of ENS are fairly easy to identify. A writer will suddenly become scarce on their usual social media haunts. Their responses to attempts at communications will be terse, distracted and often nothing more than a series of grunts, animal noises, and nods or head shakes, which of course don’t translate very well over gmail.

Another symptom indicative of ENS is a sudden change in eating and drinking habits. For me, my meals suddenly consist of anything I can eat with one hand and keep working laced with LOTS of extra coffee and tea.

Memory usually goes right out the door, at least memory that involves anything beyond what’s going on with the plot and characters in those last crucial chapters of the novel. I know it’s gross and disgusting, and if people look at me askance, well, I’ll deny it, but sometimes that involves actually forgetting things like bathing. For some writers it involves forgetting to eat, but that has never been my problem, though forgetting to sleep happens. And even when it doesn’t it’s nearly impossible to get a decent night’s sleep with my characters running rough shod through my head and doing the Hokey Pokey in my dreams. Which results in another indicative symptom of ENS – red rimmed eyes sporting lovely dark circles beneath. Oh yes, I have the look down in spades. Not a good fashion statement.

All housework and cooking is forgotten, all social events cancelled, and any time taken away from those last elusive chapters is given grudgingly and with much grumping. And then there are the physical symptoms; stomach knots, neck cricks, back aches from sitting too long in one position, eye strain, caffeine jitters and the queen of them all, interrupted sleep. Symptoms vary from author to author.

I drink less alcohol when I’m suffering from ENS because I’m afraid it’ll take away my edge. But there’s always a special bottle of wine waiting for the celebration when I come out on the other side.

And coming out on the other side is why I do it. There’s something that still seems a bit magical to me that I can take a seed of an idea and shape it and mull it about and, after some blood sweat tears and other stressful things that may or may not involve body fluids, that seed actually evolves into a novel, and a novel I’m proud to have my name on.

Kay Jaybee and I were discussing ENO a few days ago and I actually stole her idea to do a post about it, so thanks Kay! At the time I was in the end stretch of Grace Marshall’s third novel of the Executive Decisions trilogy The Exhibition, and I’ll have to admit, Stacie and Harris were having me for lunch on a regular basis. Fortunately for my poor husband, he was called away on business to South Africa that final week of the struggle with The Exhibition. (Wise advice to significant others of writers in the throes of ENS; run away if you can! Farther is better. Did I forget to mention the one symptom of ENS that endemic – Mega-Bitch-Moods!)

Hubby came home to Ms Sweetness and Light with the novel out the door to Xcite and happy dancing in full swing. However he remains cautious. He knows, as any significant other of a writer knows, that the only thing worse than End of Novel Syndrome, is what happens when the novel the author has lived with for months and months is suddenly out the door –Empty Nest Syndrome! Hubs lucked out this time, I’m already on to the next novel.

The Exhibition

Successful NYC gallery owner, Stacie Emerson, is ex-fiancée to one Thorne brother and ex-wife to the other. Though the three have made peace, Ellison Thorne’s friend, wildlife photographer, Harris Walker, still doesn’t like her. When Stacie convinces Harris to exhibit his work for the opening of her new gallery she never intended to include him in her other more hazardous plans. But when those plans draw the attention of dangerous business tycoon, Terrance Jamison, Harris comes to her aid. In the shadow of a threat only Stacie understands, can she dare let Harris into her life and make room for love?

I’ve been waiting anxiously for Smut by the Sea to happen ever since I first heard the idea mentioned by the fabulous Team Blisse. Victoria and Kevin Mitnik Blisse are always planning and scheming something amazing which is always designed as a win-win experience for all the writers and venders who participate. I love that about them, and I love being involved in Blisse events, not only for that reason, but because they’re so much fun. And Smut by the Sea was no exception! To Date Smut by the Sea was the biggest event the Blisses have hosted, but knowing Victoria and Kev, today Scarborough, tomorrow the world! And I’ll be the first in line to buy my ticket. Thanks you two! You are the best!

In spite of the tombola, the book stand, the wonderful presence of Crowned Jewels, and FUJ’s fudge that was to die for, the very best part of SBTS, at least for me, was that it was so totally and completely a celebration of erotica. It was a writer-centric celebration of sex on the printed (and eBook) page, complete with the rowdy, costumed launch of Slave Nano’s novel, Adventures in Fetishland. It didn’t feel like a workshop, because it wasn’t. There was only one panel, and that was a how to get published panel, without which no gathering of writers would be complete. It was a panel that resulted in some wonderful discussion from the audience. What I liked best was that to me, the whole event felt like we were the modern version of the primal gathering around the campfire in front of the clan cave to hear and share the clan stories. If your curious about who all was seated around that SBTS ‘campfire’ check out the list of fab story tellers here.

I was elated that so much of the day was centred around reading – not just because I love to read my work, but because I love to hear the stories that other writers are reading. I’ve loved to be read to since I was a child on my mother’s knee. And I especially love to listen to first-time readers. I love to share their excitement, and I love to be one of the old timers who can encourage them and tell them not to worry it’ll be amazing. I love the looks on their faces when they’ve finished their first ever reading for an audience, the look that always tells me they’re hooked, just like I was, just like every one of us who has stood on that stage is.

For a writer, sharing a story is like breathing. We can’t NOT do it. That’s why we write. And to be able to read it out loud to an audience that’s there specifically to hear our words is like the rich, thick, butter cream icing with sprinkles on the cake. It’s a very physical reminder of why we do what we do. It’s an initiation for new writers and it’s something that those in the audience who are novices anticipate and dread at the same time.

In between the readings there was another key component that made SBTS such a fantastic experience, and that was the chance to chat, to share ideas, to meet people face-to-face who we had only ever talked to online before and to discover that they were just as amazing face-to-face as they are on social media. I was particularly pleased to finally meet the lovely Kerry-Ann McDade, who had come all the way from Northern Ireland to be at SBTS. I knew from her sassy ‘Reading a Little Bit of Everything’ blog.

The other thing writers love to do almost as much as they love reading their work out loud is to talk craft with other writers, and there was a lot of animated talking shop that went on in Scarborough that day. We talked fears and pleasures, we talked nuts and bolts, we talked failures and successes. We talked works in progress, we talked new and old publishers, we talked self-publishing and self-promoting, we talked about our characters and about our plots, we talked about what fun it was to be who we are and do what we love most. The celebratory atmosphere was very contagious.

In fact it spilled over into the Black Lion Pub after hours for a lovely buffet and a wild night of karaoke and laughter and just plain silliness. Raymond and I toddled off to bed somewhere around 1:30, but it was a long time before I could finally sleep, as I lay there listen to the gulls and reliving all the fun and camaraderie of the day and thinking about all the lovely people I’d spent time with — not listed here because the list is a long one — and mostly just feeling very happy to have been a part of it all.

It’s been a wild and exciting week, and I’ve struggled to figure how to share the most with all of you without repeating what’s already been said and without making extra work for myself. Not that I’m lazy, and not that I don’t love chatting with you lot, but I’m hard at it writing The Exhibition, Book three of Grace Marshall’s Executive Decision trilogy, and I’m so excited about how it’s coming along that I’m anxious to keep working.

But at the same time, I definitely wanted to share the adventures of the last week, starting last Saturday with the Double Whammy Launch Party at Sh! Women’s Store and continuing on through Tuesday night with the Kinky Workd Book Night hosted by Xcite and arranged and put together by Xcite’s fabulous new PR staff members, Lauren Thomas, Claire Travers, and the mysterious Greg.

There were hot, sexy readings, there were giveaways, there was burlesque, there was an open mic, there were Q&As and there was loads of fun. I decided the very best way to share that fun was to give you a few smuttymini excerpts from the events along with an excerpt from Moorita Encantada’s fabulous performance from the play we’re collaborating on, The Eye of the Beholder. So enjoy the piccies and the naughty excerptlets.

Double Whammy Book Launch Party

At the Double Whammy Book Launch Party there was so much going on it was hard to know where to look. And it all began with one of my favourite Sh! Ladiez, Jo Wierzbicka, reminding all of us naughty folks that only one person is allowed into the bathroom at a time. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

Though Kay Jaybee read from her fabulously naughty book, The Perfect Submissive, she also gave us a sneak preview of her sequel, book two in the trilogy, The Retreat.

Jess felt goose pimples sprinkle her flesh as her employer continued to speak in whispers, her warm breath tickling Jess’s ear, ‘He’s a strong young man. He is good looking. He could dominate any girl he chose, and yet here he is, getting his rocks off by crouching in obedience before a powerful woman.’

*****

Hastened into position by his mistress, Paul’s shirt was torn from his back, his smooth torso bent over the desk’s leather inlay, and his outstretched muscular arms grasped each side of the desktop. Jess gasped at the sight of his arse. It was truly gorgeous. She was so close to him, only two metres away. She could smell his desire and almost taste the frisson of fear that ran down his spine; prone and vulnerable, as he anticipated the first strike. The Perfect Submissive

Most of you already know that I’ve been scheming and plotting with the multi-talented Moorita Encantada to write and put together a burlesque play. Saturday night was the first ever sneak peek at The Eye of the Beholder, the story of Medusa and Perseus with a twist, and a stunning performance by Moorita in the staring role as Medusa.

Arrogance can be sexy. Not his though, his was simply stupid. No woman is going to defeat him, he said. He was a warrior, he said, strong and quick on his feet. He’d finish me off and be home in time for dinner with my head as a trophy.

Humility is such a hard lesson to learn. A very hard lesson.

This one, yuk, this one should have never come..! What was it that inspired such a coward to face my wrath? A bet? A few too many pints down the pub? Honestly, trembling before a woman is only arousing if it’s because her beauty takes a man’s breath away, if it’s because he loves her and adores her and wants her more than life itself. Not because he’s so afraid he’s about to piss himself. He should have stayed in his room playing World of War Craft.

This one was just mean, lacking in human kindness, no goodness in his heart. He didn’t just want my head for a trophy, he wanted to hurt me, he wanted to make me suffer, wanted to make my Graea suffer, though we’d done nothing to him. Oh believe me, he’s better this way. Now there’s nothing at all in his heart, and no more harm to be done.

Medusa’s monologue from The Eye of the Beholder

We’ll be sharing more news about The Eye of the Beholder as it unfolds, and there are lots of exciting things on the horizon. Moorita will be performing more of The Eye of the Beholder at Smut By The Sea in Scarborough on the 22nd of June, and we hope to see you there.

Because I had two new releases very close together, I read from both of my latest, Grace Marshall’s Identity Crisis, and book three of K D Grace’s Lakeland Heatwave Trilogy, Elemental Fire. I could hardly remember from one minute to the next just exactly who I was.

She took him into her arms and kissed him hard, and when he feared he would disgrace himself again with his cock pressed up tight against the top of her belly, she pulled away. ‘However,’ she said. ‘If I grant your request, then I will possess you. All of you. You will belong to me, your life will mine.’ She gaze was painfully bright. ‘And if you earnestly wish to be rid of Deacon, then you will do as I say for as long as it takes us to accomplish our task, and it will take time. I know him. You don’t. I’m his equal. You’re not. And one more very important thing, Kennet Birch.’ She stroked his hair gently and whispered against his lips. ‘Never, never forget how badly I can hurt you if you defy me.’ Then she guided his hand down over her pubic curls. ‘If my terms are not acceptable to you, then you must return to your body and face your fate.’ Elemental Fire

Kinky World Book Night

We barely had time to recover from the weekend before we were off to Cardiff for the exciting Kinky World Book Night, an event we’d all been excitedly waiting for. Lauren, Claire and Greg were fabulous hosts for the event, held at the Fire Island Bar, and we were especially lucky to be joined by smutty author extraordinaire, Lily Harlem, who didn’t read, but cheered us on, and of course the unstopable Lucy Felthouse. After a really insightful and fun Q&A, there was an open mic with some fabulous new unpublished (thought I have no doubt that will be changing soon) talent, in addition to the delicious and talented Black Silk. I think it’s safe to say a naughty time was had by all.

Taking a step forward, Mark pulled hard on the lead so that Anya’s neck jerked toward his legs. ‘My bitch here is guilty of questioning my requests.’ Abruptly the room fell completely silent, and everyone turned to see what was happening as Mark’s voice boomed out. Keeping her voice lowered, Anya stared at the dusty floor.

Opening the lid of his box, Mark pulled out a large piece of folded white card. As he unfolded it, he dragged Anya to one of the unoccupied rings on the wall before securing the lead to it, ensuring she couldn’t stray. Then he stuck the rectangle of card upon the wall next to her tethered body.

In bold black type it said, “Do what you want to me, but I must not be satisfied. I have been very bad and I do not deserve it.” The Voyeur

Dropping onto her back, Annalise lifted her bottom, hooked her thumbs into the sides of her thong and shimmied out of it. She flicked one foot and sent it sailing across the room, then sat up, unhooked her bra and sent it in the same direction. She was just about to grab the top of one of her hold-up stockings to roll it off when Damian got back onto the bed and crawled over to her.

‘Don’t,’ he said quietly, pushing her onto her back once more. ‘leave them on.’

‘Ooh,’ she replied, shuffling backwards up the bed so her head was on the pillow, ‘like them, do we?’ Off the Shelf

She turned on him. ‘Oh pa-lease. You deserved it. You’ve deserved everything you got so far, and last night, well if you’d have just let me handle it, then this,’ she stabbed a finger at the door, ‘this wouldn’t be happening.’ She jerked off the robe and stood naked in front of him tugging her panties up over her hips and then shoving into the green dress. And fuck it was hard to stay focused with her doing that. Did she do that on purpose – get his cock’s full attention so his brain wouldn’t work? She probably did. She was a bitch, he reminded himself. How the hell could he forget the number one fact about Kendra Davis? The woman was a bitch. Interact with her at your own risk. He watched her stuff her stockings and garter belt into her bag like they were the enemy, and he was sympathetic.

‘Where’s the back door,’ she said.

‘Through the kitchen,’ he replied, his brain still half-occupied by her angry reverse strip-tease that had left him in a bad way. ‘Wait a minute. Where are you going? What are you doing?’ He followed her into the kitchen with her stumbling into her killer heels as she went.

We all came home exhausted, but happy. What a fabulous experience and another happy reminder of some of the really cool perks of writing erotica, including lunch with our fearless leader, Hazel Cushion, dinner at Pika Pika with Lauren, Claire and Greg, and breakfast with Kay Jaybee, where else but the Harley Coffee Shop! How could such a week not inspire me to write more naughty, sexy, romantic stuff, and that’s how I hope to be spending the next few weeks, hard at work on The Exhibition.

KD: The event everyone is talking about this summer is Smut By the Sea, which will be held June 22nd in lovely Scarborough. Today, I’m talking with the two lovely people responsible for this exciting event, Victoria Blisse and Kevin Mitnik. Welcome, Lovelies! So good to have you!

Could you tell us what inspired the idea for the Smut by the Sea event? How did it all come about?

V&K: We’ve had many holidays in Scarborough and we love it there, so we wanted to have a good excuse for another holiday in Scarborough! That wasn’t the only motivation though, attending readings down south made us think about having such events up North so that people who couldn’t readily reach the capital could enjoy some erotic fun too!

So we talked about it between ourselves, just as a pie in the sky idea really, but then we mentioned it to other author friends who thought it was a great idea, so suddenly Smut by the Sea was born. We got Scarborough Library on board to host, we picked a date (The 22nd June) and went for it.

KD: Which came first, the SBTS anthologies or the event? Were they always planned together?

V&K: We think the ideas evolved together, we always planned a Smut by the Sea anthology to go with the event but the other Smut anthologies spun off from there, we weren’t expecting to do those, but the smut idea just caught on and now we can’t stop thinking of smutty ideas!

KD: Why Scarborough? I hear the two of you have a special place in your heart for it. Do tell!

V&K: I (Victoria) have been to Scarborough every year of my life for a holiday since I was four. I love the place, it’s my second home. When I got together with Kev, I introduced him to Scarborough and was overjoyed when he loved it just as much too. We now go every year for a family holiday and Kev and I try to get there for an adults only break at some point too.

So when we thought of ideas for an event up north, our minds automatically turned to Scarborough, we love it so much and want other people to find out how brilliant it is too.

KD: Tell us a bit about how the two of you work together to plan such a huge event. Who does what? Is there a specific division of labour? How has Team Blisse come through when one person working alone might not have?

V&K: Kev is the tech guy and I am the talk girl. Kev is brilliant with everything computer, he designs the websites, smut covers and advertising images and he does it all very well indeed.

I am gobby, by this I mean I can talk, email and chat up just about anyone. So I do all the social side of things. I email companies about becoming sponsors, I chat to readers and authors who’d maybe be interested in coming because Kev’s not as comfortable with that as I am.

I wouldn’t have been able to do this on my own because I don’t have tech skills and Kev couldn’t have done it because he’s a little bit shy (awww) and together we both try and work the money side of things out. This isn’t fun and neither of us are particularly big fans of maths.

How we’ve actually managed to pull it all together? God alone knows, but apparently we have!

KD: And the rest of us are very glad you have!Tell us a bit about what we can expect at Smut By the Sea.

There’s also going to be a marketplace where you’ll be able to buy some smutty things and fudge. Mmmm, fudge.

In the evening we’re having a big Smut by the Sea Launch party with readings from some of the authors, sparkling wine, cakes and treats and a burlesque performance from Moorita Encantada.

And the best bit? You’ll get to chat to lots of authors and readers and people who love erotica, how brilliant is that?

KD: That is totally brilliant! I can’t wait! What has been the most exciting thing about preparing for SBTS?

V&K: Every time an author or a company decides they want to join in we have a little mini Blisse party, it makes us very happy indeed. In fact, the same thing happens every time we sell a ticket. It’s party central at the Blisse house right now!

KD: That sounds fab! Always good to have reasons to party! What has been the most difficult thing?

V&K: Working with Kev. *OUCH* I was only joking.

Kev’s serious answer: The fact that this is the first event, we have nothing to go on, no figures to give out, no real idea of what to expect. It’s all very new and that is a little bit scary.

KD: I’ve never known the two of you not to be scheming and planning something new and exciting, so go on then, tell us what does the future have in store for the Blisses?

And there’s also a big Blisse Kiss event coming up called Blisse Bunnies. Lots of fun excerpts and blogs about New Beginnings, and a big booklovers prize. http://blissebunnies.co.uk from the 1st April.